Love Me
by DarkMaverik
Summary: Love is a powerful force. Powerful enough to make someone do crazy things. Even kill. When Mike awakens locked in a small room and tied to a chair, he soon begins to find out just how powerful love is. And how torturous being on the wrong end of it can be


Love Me  
by Maverik

"How does it feel, jerkface?"

Lucy's words bounced off the concrete walls, incessantly echoing. Mike couldn't see her due to the bag over his head, but it was unmistakably her voice. His head throbbed and ached from the bludgeoning that had brought him there in the first place.

"I asked you a question, damn it!" A rough hand grabbed the sack that covered his face and ripped it off. He was blinded temporarily by the bright lamps that shined down on him.

"Wh-What's going on...?" The Korat groaned out. His query was met with a firm slap across the face. This added a ring to his ears and a blur to his vision on top of the incessant throbbing that already made it hard to think.

"You toyed with my emotions for so long... Putting me through emotional pain that you could never understand yourself..." The blurred figure paced back and forth, as she balled her fists in anger. "So I'll make you understand... Even if I have to pull it out of you..." The shape approached him and he felt a hand gripping his finger hard, forcing his claw to protrude. His vision focused a little better as he tried desperately to recognise the shape in her hand. A pair of needle-nose pliers.

"One..." A speedy motion ripped the claw from his fingertip, the quiet sound of it snapping followed by the first red stream. Mike yowled in pain. "... By one..." Her gloved fingers firmly gripped the next one along, performing the same motions, resulting in the same reaction.

Mike tried to pull his arm away, clenching his wounded fingers into a tight fist, but it didn't help. He was tied down to a chair, his wrists and elbows held firmly against the steel frame of the seat by tight leather straps. The same could be said for his legs which were tightly secured to the legs of the chair at his ankles and knees. The reality of the situation began to dawn on him.

"Lucy... please... this is crazy..." His eyes were slowly starting to focus in better, but it hardly seemed to matter. The lights that shined on him were aimed specifically to make it hard for him to keep them open much longer than a few moments at a time.

"Crazy you say? You think this is crazy?" The voice scoffed at him. "No... Crazy is spending every day pining after some stupid girl who you can't even see... Some bitch who for all you know could be having sex with just about anyone, and just using you as some emotional crutch!" Her anger grew with each word. He could hear her pacing just beyond the blinding orbs of light.

"That's what this is about? You're jealous about Sandy?" Mike shouted back in disbelief. "You would honestly tie me down and rip out my claws just to make some stupid point about how I didn't want to be with you?" He couldn't believe the situation he was in. This was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard of, let alone experienced first hand.

"No... This isn't about making a point... This is punishment!" As she shouted, Mike felt an excruciating pain in his right hand as a hammer crashed down hard and broke what felt like every bone in his palm. His voice screamed out as his body reflexively tried to pull the wounded hand in, to hide it away. It was futile of course.

"W-why..." He managed to wheeze through his rapid breaths, his eyes filling with tears from the pain. "Why would... Would you..." He couldn't even finish his sentence. The pain in his hand was just so excruciating. He'd broken bones before, but nothing quite this bad.

"Why would I go to such extremes?" Lucy asked, finishing his sentence for him. "Simple. You broke my heart, Mike... When I depended on you. When I put every last ounce of hope, faith and trust into you... You threw it all away. And for that, Michael, I hate you..." The hammer came down again, grinding its hard steel form again into the same mangled paw. Again, she struck the hand, and again, and again, each blow grinding shards of broken bone further into his flesh. Blood dripped from the places where the fragments had pierced the skin and exposed the mush that was once the tendons and muscles that had formed a working limb. Each new blow sent white hot flashes through the cat's mind, until it got to the point where he could barely even feel it any more, the lump of bloodied muscle and bone that barely even resembled an appendage now, had become numb to the pain.

Mike groaned groggily, feeling woozy, his consciousness beginning to fade as his vision doubled and his breath slowed. 'At least... If I pass out... It will be over...' He thought silently, taking solace in this small fact.

"Starting to pass out? Well, we can't have that..." The sound of objects clattering across a metallic tray barely registered to the fading awareness of Mike. "This may sting just a little..." Lucy's voice cooed softly as she closed in on him. Mike couldn't muster the strength to open his eyes to get a look at the woman. But this was only a fleeting affliction. Lucy softly spread a patch of fur on his chest, paused, and in one fell swoop, stabbed a syringe deep into his heart, and injected a full dose of raw adrenaline into his system.

Mike's eyes bolted open, and for the first time he could see his assailant. It was definitely Lucy. That unmistakeable snow-white fur. The pink bow around her neck. She dressed from head to toe in a large plastic apron, a welders mask, elbow length rubber gloves, black rubber boots. This was not the outfit of someone who intended anything less than a very messy procedure. The fear welled within him, his heart beating faster than he had ever done so before, in part the adrenaline that had just been injected into his system, but also due to the realisation of just what predicament he found himself in.

"Yes... Now you're starting to get it... Now we can start properly..." The syringe hung from his chest loosely, making every movement painful, every heartbeat uncomfortable, like his chest were constricted. His arms desperately fought against his restraints. He wanted to rip it out. He had to rip it out. Panic was taking over.

The sound of rusted wheels caught his attention, thankfully pulling him away from his dilemma momentarily. A large mirror was wheeled in front of him, revealing his restrained visage back to him. Lucy slipped around the side of the full length reflective surface, looking in it and then back to Mike, as though assessing his line of sight.

"There now... That's much better isn't it? Don't want you missing out on the action." She marched around his chair and grabbed his face, slamming his head against the high back of the chair. The double vision returned again, as he felt another strap being wrapped around his head and tightened. Now he couldn't look anywhere else. Just stare eternally into his own eyes. He couldn't bare to look.

He shut his eyes tight, desperate for any kind of escape. "I can't! I don't want to see this! Please! Just let me go!" The begging had started. Music to her ears. But she couldn't have him shutting his eyes... That just would not do...

"You're not playing fair Mike..." Her voice was as smooth as it was poisonous. Another clatter of steel being slid along a metal tray... Footsteps... The panic was getting to him. His whole body was shaking slightly, despite the pain the needle's movements made for him, he couldn't stop himself. "Open wide Mikey~" She chimed. Her fingers pinched the top eyelid of his left eye, and the terrifying sound of a box cutter being slid out of it's casing caused him to open his eyes as wide as he could.

"They're open! They're open! For the love of god, they're open!" He screamed in horror. Lucy paused a moment, considering this a moment. She let go of his eyelid and sighed heavily.

"You're just no fun Mike..." She pouted. Her figure looking defeated a moment. "Oh well... Guess I can't have everything go my way..." As she said this, she reached over and grabbed his eyelid again, and before he could argue, she pulled the box cutter up to his head, and started to slice back and forth, tearing at the thin membrane with each sawing motion. Mike could do nothing but scream, as the razor sharp steel slid effortlessly through his eyelid, the blood stinging like mad as it filled his eyes. Soon enough, Lucy reached the other side of the now bloodied skin flap, but rather than slice that last little corner, she slowly pulled at it, ripping the last corner of flesh from it's base... Mike screamed...

"One down..." Lucy said with an invisible grin.

**-==Somewhere Across Town==-**

Mike's mother grabbed the police officer's shirt in desperation. "What have they done with him?" She shouted, her face filled with fear of what might be.

"Mrs. Ellen... Please calm down... Hysterics are not going to help us find your son all right?" The officer placed his hands on her shoulders and eases her back into her couch. "Now we'll do everything we can to find the culprit... But you have to be very specific for us... What did the kidnapper say on the phone?" The woman nodded shakily as she tried to recall.

"Th-they said that... That... They were going to p... P... Punish..." The woman broke down into tears, unable to finish her sentence. Her husband stood up angrily.

"This is ridiculous! Who would want to kidnap our son?" He shouted. "We're just a normal family! He's a good boy! I refuse to believe he's involved in anything that would get him kidnapped like this! There has to be a mistake!" The two officers exchanged a concerned look as the man raved in front of them.

"Sir... Did either of you recognise the voice?" One asked hopefully.

"N-no... I... I think it was a girl... It was muffled..." Ellen murmured quietly. "She... She sounded young..." the woman added, hoping it would help.

"Do you know any young female acquaintances of your son?" The older cop inquired.

"A few... But none of them could do anything like this! They're all such nice girls..." The father replied, not sure if he believed his own words any more.

"Well, that is often the case with criminals... All the same, could we get a list of these girls?"

**-==Back At The Room==-**

Mike's eyes burned fiercely, the blood stung like acid, but his screams had since lulled. Lucy stood back, almost admiring her handiwork. Mike sniffled a little, shivering as his body wasn't sure how to react to such intense sensations. Tears welled in their ducts, diluting the blood as the two fluids mixed. "There we are. Now I can see your pretty green eyes." She paused a moment.

"Oh... But this is no good... That blood will make it simply impossible for you to see all the interesting thing's I'm going to do to you... We'll have to do something about that..." Again, the young girl moved away from Mikes direct line of sight, and rummaged around on the metal sounding surface. After a moment, she returned with a large box shaped object. She placed the cube on the ground and flicked a switch on. Mike couldn't make the shape out through the warm red veil covering his eyes, but Lucy would fill him in.

"Cleaning the blood would be somewhat pointless you see... You'll just keep bleeding, and we'll be right back where we started... But I have just the solution! We're going to cauterise those wounds!" Mike felt fear rising inside him again. "Don't worry. I'll be careful not to seer your eyes... Yet..." She picked up a rod shaped object and brought it close to Mike's face. "I hope you don't mind... I've only got this old soldering iron. But it should do..." Mike's neck craned and bent in desperation, but it was held tight. The superheated point bombarding his face with it's heat.

"No! No! Please don't do-yyyaaaaaarrrrgggggg!" He begged and pleaded, but his words were as ineffective as ever. The metal connected with the wound, and a sickening sizzling sound was heard. Mike's screams were renewed with this, the sensation of burning steel agonising as it was dragged across the bleeding tare.

Lucy drew around his eyes much like she would with mascara around her own. The faint scent of burning meat filling her nose. She moved very precisely, not wishing to harm those all important eyes. No matter how slow she moved, Mike's voice serenaded her. With one final dot, the wounds were closed, and bled no more.

"Now let's just wash that blood away..." She picked up a paint brush off a table seemingly just behind him, dipping it in some water. She proceeded to scrub along his eyeball, wiping away any traces of blood, but the feeling of bristles dragging across such a sensitive area was in itself quite painful. Though to be honest, it was nothing compared to what he had already suffered. A mere uncomfortable inconvenience.

Lucy stood back once she was done, holding one thumb out pressed up against the paint brush like an artist sizing up their work. "There. Perfect." Mike could see again, despite the pain his eyes generated. "Now we can move onto the next stage..." She grabbed yet another tool from an unseen bench, revealing it to be a pair of regular pliers. The white cat knelt down in front of her victim, and gripped his pinky toe it the tool's vice grip.

"No! Please Lucy I- **GUHGHHG**!" Again his protest was cut short, as Lucy clenched hard on the handles, snapping the feeble weak bone inside. The Korat breathed deep and fast, feeling Lucy move along to the next toe, seeing her ready herself over the next toe... **SNAP**. Another crushed bone. Mike's voice strained against his throat, his breathing hastening with each passing moment. **SNAP**. Another toe crunched under the force.

Mike choked a little on his own voice, finding it harder to breath. He became painfully aware of the syringe in his chest again. He was starting to have a panic attack. He couldn't breath. Gasping for air, but unable to exhale, black spots filled his vision. Lucy stood up in front of him and tilted her head a little. "Hey jerkface! No dying yet!" She gripped the needle firmly in her hand and ripped it from his chest. Mike continued to have trouble breathing out, so Lucy gave him a hand. She belted him hard in the stomach, forcing the air out of his lungs, leaving him heaving, but breathing.

"Fine... We'll take a break..." She said defeated. Leaning over, she picked up a big heavy pipe and swung it hard, smacking Mike in the side of the head. He blacked out...

**-==Daisy's House==-**

The two police officers approached the front of Daisy's house and rapped firmly on the door. They both kept a serious expression as after a few moments, the young Daisy opened the entrance and peered up, a look of surprise quickly taking hold of her expression.

"Excuse us miss... But you wouldn't happen to be Daisy, would you?" One of the police officers inquired, seeming to loom intimidatingly.

"Y-yes. Th-that's me..." The young girl looked very concerned. "Wh-what's the matter? Is someone in trouble? Oh my god! Is someone hurt?" Her concern quickly turned to panic as she suddenly imagined the worst.

"Please calm down miss... We just need to ask you a few questions..." The officer tried to take control of the situation before it got worse. "May we come in?"

The two were invited inside, and after sitting down around the coffee table, the two explained about the disappearance of Mike, and the ominous message left on his parents answering machine. Daisy was having a hard time taking it all in, much less staying calm about it. But she did her best to keep her emotions in check. Mike's safety was on the line after all.

"I don't know anybody who would want to hurt poor Mikie!" She protested desperately.

"Have any of your friends been acting strangely lately? Has Mike been going anywhere or doing anything unusual?" The police pressed for answers. Daisy didn't seem like she had known anything about the whole ordeal, and so for the moment, the police elected not to press the matter of her potential guilt for the time being.

"Mike hasn't been doing anything strange that I know of..." She started to think hard, trying to remember anything strange. The officers tried to give her a little space to think, when she sat up in realisation. "Oh! But I do know someone who might know if something bad is happening!"

The police eyed each other warily before motioning for her to continue. "There's a guy at my school called Augustus. He's a nice enough guy... But he always seems to know when something is going to happen... Maybe he might have heard or seen something?" Her posture leaned forwards as she hoped that her information was deemed helpful.

"Do you happen to know where this 'Augustus' fellow lives?" The taller officer asked hopefully.

"I'm sorry... I don't know..." Daisy deflated a little.

"Don't worry about it miss. We'll find him." The other officer reassured her. The two got up and thanked the young girl for her help, making their way out and preparing to go chase up their new lead. As they left, Daisy rushed to her phone and picked up the receiver.

"Hello? Is Lucy home?"

**-==Back At The Room==-**

Life slowly began to return to Mike's lidless eyes. Things were hazy, but slowly he started to regain the ability to see. Something new grabbed his attention, however. His eyes. They burned. They felt like someone was grinding his cornea against a gravel floor. The pain was unimaginable. He started to scream.

"Finally awake are we?" Lucy's familiar voice chimed as she entered his field of view. He couldn't respond. His eyes were in indescribable agony. "I'll bet you're thinking I put acid in your eyes... Well, I'm sad to say I did not... However... Your eyeballs are probably drying out quite nicely right about now." It was true. Without any eyelids to blink with, his eyes had dried out and were searing with crippling pain.

"Well then... Let's just see if we can't take your mind off the pain..." This time, she didn't leave. She knew exactly what she was doing, and was prepared for this eventuality. From behind her back, she produced a pair of tree trimmers. Firmly grabbing one of Mike's fingers, she placed the sharp scissor like object around his digit, and clamped down hard, slicing all the way down to the bone. "Hmmm... Seems that bones are a little harder than wood" She murmured to herself under the echoing cries of the poor Korat. With another hard clamp, the finger separated from the hand, leaving a stump that bled significantly less than it should have.

"I can't... I can't..." Mike panted, holding back the bellowing sound of his own voice as he tried to compose himself. His remaining fingers tightened into a balled fist, trying to avoid the same fate as the already missing appendage. But it was no use. The rope around his wrist was so tight, he couldn't make a proper fist, try as he might. Lucy gripped another finger, and clamped the trimmers around it, and jammed the full force of her body down, slicing cleanly through the bone and cartilage this time. Mike's body convulsed almost involuntarily.

"S-stop! Please stop!" He begged, tears swelling in his eyes, giving him slight relief from the pain they caused. "Lucy! I beg you! You've done enough!"

The girl stopped and looked ah him, as though waiting for him to continue. "You're right... I have been an asshole to you. I took you for granted, and left you all alone... And I'm so sorry for all of that! Please... Haven't you done enough to me? My body will never recover from this... I just... I don't want to die Lucy... Please... Please just... Just let me go..." His sobs replaced the screams as his pathetic figure heaved and shuddered.

"And what about Sandy?" Lucy asked quietly.

"Sandy... She... She'd never want to look at me again... You have your revenge there too... I'll never be able to face her like this." The figure seemed hesitant.

"Do you hate me Mike? Do you hate me for what I've done to you?" She looked at the ground, almost repentant in her actions.

"N-no... I... I don't hate you..." He told her quietly, his tears slowing some.

"Well... You will soon" She replied. Mike's expression became slightly puzzled.

"W-what?" Was all he managed to say before Lucy stabbed the trimmers deep into the back of his palm. Mike cried out once more, the pain returning to the forefront of his mind. Lucy walked over past the mirror and moved into the murky darkness, flicking on a switch. A spotlight shined down on another figure on the opposite side of the large room, unobstructed by anything else. Strapped to a chair just like he was, but with a silver strip of tape gagging them. "S-Sandy?" Mike cried out in horror.

"I thought she might enjoy the show I was performing for your benefit. She's had front row seats to the whole ordeal." Lucy paced back and forth between the two as she spoke. "I wanted her to see you like this Mike. I wanted her to see you become a hideous and disfigured monster. To see you transformed into a snivelling pile of nothing." She walked back to Mike. "To see you destroyed. Like you destroyed me." She walked back over to the young woman strapped helplessly into the chair, tears moistening her cheeks, unable to look Mike in the eyes. "But my dear... This is merely the appetiser..." She made her way back over to Mike and picked up her box cutter once more.

What came next was gruesome. Depraved. And well beyond anything the girl had done until this point. She took the box cutter, and slid it's blade very carefully up the skin of Mike's sheath, splitting the protective patch of skin and fur that housed his penis. Mike screamed. Not even because of the pain. But because he knew where this would lead. Lucy split the seam of the cut, and gripped his rod, pulling it out of it's hiding place, holding it firmly at full length. Mike's breathing grew rapid again.

"I'll bet it's all because of this stupid thing... It's what made you like that model in the first place..." She took a long nail from the table behind him, and held it in front of him. "Just to make sure you can't hide it away..." She placed it's tip at the base of his shaft.

"No! No! Don't do it! Anything but that! **PLEASE**!" Mike screamed at his assailant, causing his own ears to sting even more than they already had been from the constant loud noises generated by his own throat. Lucy of course, refused to listen. She jammed the long steel nail through the side of his cock, the rusted rod grating it's serrated and jagged chunks through the meat of his genitals. His screams were beyond even that which he had made so far.

Lucy didn't speak. She just set to work. She took another rusted and jagged nail, and jammed it down the length of his urethra, slicing at the sensitive passageway, cutting deep into the flesh, infecting it with the dirt and rust. Blood flowed freely from the end of his member, as though he were urinating it. The sight alone, not to mention the sensation, started to send Mike into shock.

His eyes fixed onto Sandy. She struggled against her own bonds, desperate to break free. To save her love. To stop this mad woman from continuing this heinous crime. Mike felt another sharp pain in his shaft, as he looked back to the mirror to see one sharp clamp of a jumper lead chewing deep into his flesh, producing new holes where blood could escape from. Lucy held up the other end of the cable.

"Blood makes an excellent conductor. Did you know that?" She clamped it onto the end of the nail protruding from his urethra. "So does steel." She added, as the two metals collided, and Mike felt the electricity coarse right through his whole body. He tried to scream. Tried to cry. To shout. Anything. But nothing came. Only pain. And after a few moments... Darkness...

**-==Police Station==-**

The two officers walked into the station, looking exhausted, and a little defeated. They had visited a few other leads, but so far, no one had shown any signs of suspicion. They had also sought out this Augustus fellow, but that had seemed a dead end, since nobody seemed to know where to find him. The only had one name left on their list... Lucy... No one had been home when they checked the house, so they would have to return later that night to try again.

"Well, Frank... What do we do? We're almost at a dead end. If this 'Lucy' turns out to be a wild goose chase, then we're going to have to tell that kid's parents that we have no idea where their son is..." One of the officers told his partner solemnly.

"I know what you mean John. It's the worst part of the job..." Frank sighed heavily, grabbing the coffee pot and pouring some into a Styrofoam cup.

"Perhaps you wouldn't need to do that if you were the least bit competent." The two turned to see where the insult had come from, and were surprised to see a young black and white cat standing before them. "A little birdie said you were looking for me. I'm Augustus." He took a slight bow, letting his bangs fall forward of his face as he did so.

"Son. Tell us what you know of the kidnapping of a kid from your school named Mike." Frank said, holding in the urge to get offended by his earlier remark. They were at a loss, and he couldn't afford to scare off any potential leads.

"Mike? Oh yes... The boy who insists on eternally wearing a scarf... Well. I can't say that I've seen him at all recently." The two officers scowled at the boy who merely grinned knowingly. "However. I **have** seen something that might interest you." The John grit his teeth and griped the edge of the desk in front of him.

"Go on..." He responded with as much restraint as possible. The boy was taking so much delight in wasting their time. But if they called him on it, or tried to arrest him, he'd clam up, and they'd never get the information they needed.

"One of his little playmates... Lucy I believe her name is. She was seen milling about a big old abandoned warehouse. Rather unusual area for anyone her age to be frequenting. Couple that with the fact that very recently, rumours of her and a certain Korat having had a rather large fight, ending in a very messy 'break up' of sorts." He leaned back a little, letting his words sink in.

"That's some very interesting information you have there... Any idea just where that warehouse might be?" Frank asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's with the rest of them of course. I don't know which one exactly. You'll have to find that out for yourselves. But I'll be honest. If I were you, I'd hurry. Who knows what she's capable of... And they **have** been alone for quite a long while..." The two officers looked at each other with grim expressions.

"We'll want to talk to you more once this is over young man." Frank warned before the two grabbed their coats and hastily made their way outside, headed towards their car.

"I'll be looking forward to it officers." Augustus responded quietly as the two left, a slight grin remaining on his face.

**-==Back At The Room==-**

"Clear" A new jolt of electricity surged through Mike's battered figure. He awoke with a shock, his heart being kick started by the car battery that had been hooked up to his chest briefly. "Are we awake again Mike darling?" Lucy asked in a soothing voice. He refused to respond. Maybe if he pretended to stay unconscious, she'd leave him be for a while, and he would be able to think of a way out of here.

"Still out? Hmmm... Maybe if I hook it up to your dick again..." She mused quietly to herself. Mike's body struggled as best it could.

"No! Don't! Please!" He begged, not able to bare the thought of going through that again. Lucy shook her head at him.

"Mike, Mike, Mike... I thought we were friends... I thought we could trust each other..." She leaned down and brought her masked face close to him. "I guess you're just really good at breaking my expectations. Aren't you jerkface?" She grabbed the nail protruding from his urethra and ripped it out, it's jagged edges tearing away, creating new wounds to go along with the ones that already filled the passageway.

Mike didn't scream. He was too weary. His body shook and convulsed, unable to control his actions. But he didn't scream. He felt ill. His eyes were starting to roll back a little. Without warning, he vomited a mixture of his last meal and stomach bile all down him front, and over the floor before him.

"Hmmm... It seems that this is all too much for you... Maybe I should let you regain your strength... I'll go 'play' with Sandy for a while now shall I?" She turned around and started to make her way towards the crying young girl.

"Lucy!" Mike shouted with whatever strength he still had. "Lucy... You bitch!" The figure stopped and turned her head slightly. "Don't you fucking touch her! She doesn't deserve any of this! You're the sick one! You're the one who should be tied down and locked away!"

Tears welled in his eyes again. "I thought I knew you Lucy! I thought we were friends... And even if I did hurt you... I... I never thought you were capable of this."

Mike looked down, hopelessly. "Lucy... I'm so sorry for what I've done... But you... You're the worst kind of person imaginable. You asked me if I hated you earlier? Well, I do... I hate you with every fibre of my body... And I hope you are caught. I hope they lock you away and throw away the key." Lucy turned to face him, not saying a word. Not responding. Not doing anything.

"No... I lied... I hope you die, Lucy..." The white cat slowly started to walk towards him. "**Just die**!" Lucy walked straight past Mike. Over to her hidden table. Mike's eyes filled with tears as he looked over to Sandy.

"It'll all be over soon Sandy... The police will find us... They'll rescue you!" He wasn't sure if he believed his own assurances. But he had to try and give her hope. "Just hang on!" Lucy walked back into his view, and Mike's attention was immediately drawn to her hands. What new torture implement would she try to break him with. But what he saw was something he had never expected to see. A gun. Nothing fancy. Nothing big. Just plain old .45 revolver. "So that's it? Now you kill me?" He asked with a stern expression.

"No..." Lucy replied. She raised the gun, but held it to the side of his head, aiming into the distance behind him.

"What are you..." Mike asked somewhat curiously, as he tried to turn his head fruitlessly. But his answer was soon given, as Lucy fired the gun, the hammer slamming into the bullet casing and exploding the small amount of gun powder and careening the steel slug into the wall behind Mike. But more importantly... As the gun fired, the sound waves struck against Mike's ear drum so hard that it burst, exploding a yellow goo mixed with blood from his ear. Mike screamed louder than ever before, his super sensitive ears feeling the brunt of the sound far worse than most.

"A parting gift." Lucy told him, as she raised the gun to his other ear, and fired, resulting in the same reaction. Mike's head rang, his mind numb. His eyes began to glaze over as he started to loose the last ounces of his life. She raised the gun one last time and placed the barrel against his forehead.

"Fu... Fuc... Y..." She pulled the trigger, and he was silenced. The echo of the bullet that took his life seemed to reverberate for an eternity.

"It's almost over..." Lucy mumbled, quietly. She walked over to Sandy and sighed, lifting her welding mask off, and peeling a small chip from her throat. Disguise pulled back, Sandy stared down at herself tied to the chair.

She pulled the hair from the girl's head. It was Lucy. Their roles reversed.

"He's dead now. Dead. And with his very last breath, he cursed your name. He died hating you with every ounce of his being." Sandy, the assailant, leaned down and cut the bonds that held Lucy in place, freeing her from the chair. Lucy sat stunned. Sandy dropped the firearm into Lucy's lap and took her apron off.

"Now there's no redemption for you. Even in death, you'll find that he'll spurn you. Never listen to you..." She took her gloves and boots off and stood staring into nothing. "And the only thing close to recompense that you'll ever get, is the chance to kill me."

Lucy stared at the gun. She was right. Sandy's words stung. It was hopeless. Even if there was an afterlife... Mike would hate her forever.

"Kill me. Send me to my beloved Maishul..." She taunted.

Lucy slowly stood up. She gripped the gun in her hand, aimed... And fired...

**-==Several Weeks Later==-**

Mike's funeral was a very sad affair. All his schoolmates attended the service. All mourning the loss of their friend. Lucy was the only one not present.

"I just can't believe Lucy snapped like that..." Sue said in a mournful tone. "I know she was upset... But..." She sniffed a little, holding back her tears.

"She murdered Mike and that girl from Rickter in cold blood..." Paulo added, seeming just plain lost. He turned to Daisy who was crying openly next to the group and frowned heavily. "Abbey... What is going to happen to Lucy?" He asked hesitantly.

"They said she would be committed to an institution. The things she did... She's being put somewhere she can't hurt anyone else. Least of all herself..." The group shared a collective moment of sorrow, all bowing their heads at the loss of both their friends. To death, and to insanity.

"Maybe one day we'll be able to see her..." Paulo said with a sorrowful gaze. No one responded. It was too heartbreaking. They all said their goodbyes, and went their separate ways. It would be years before any of them would ever be able to get over the events of that day...

The End.


End file.
